Williams team back as F1 force

Piero Valsecchi

Thursday, April 19, 2001 | 12:44 p.m.

IMOLA, Italy - The dry spell is over for team owner Frank Williams after 3 1/2 years without a victory, and the Formula One circuit is no longer a continuing match race between Ferraris and McLarens.

"The desert crossing seems to have come to an end," Williams said after Ralf Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix.

Now, it's on to the Spanish Grand Prix, where Williams drivers Schumacher and Juan Montoya could again prove the BMW engine is the fastest on the circuit. At the very least, they will line up on the grid in Barcelona on April 29 as equals once more.

Ferrari, Williams and McLaren have enjoyed great success in Grand Prix history. But Williams fell off during a transition period of equipment and racers since Jacques Villeneuve won its most recent of seven driver titles in 1997.

On Sunday, on the home track of the Ferrari team, Schumacher led all 62 laps of the San Marino Grand Prix. He easily outran the McLaren of polesitter David Coulthard. The Ferrari of Schumacher's brother, Michael, a three-time and defending series champion, fell out and didn't score a point.

Two weeks earlier, in the Brazilian Grand Prix, Montoya shoved Michael Schumacher aside to take the lead early and was on his way to an easy victory until he collided with a lapped car. That kind of dominance has convinced Benetton-Renault boss Flavio Briatore that the Williams cars are for real.

"I don't believe Sunday's win was a lucky strike," Briatore said. "Williams has developed a competitive car which can compete for the title."

Right now, Ralf Schumacher is fourth in the standings, trailing his brother, Coulthard and Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello.

McLaren manager Ron Dennis also acknowledged the power of Williams, the first team other than Ferrari or McLaren to win in the last 22 races.

"There will be more drivers winning this season than in the last couple of years," Dennis said.

Ferrari director Jean Todt concedes it will be a three-way race, in part because Williams has done so well with its engine and tire combination.

"They were always strong but now they have the package to compete," Todt said.

He cautions that most of the season lies ahead, and points out that no one is ahead of Ferrari in either the driver or constructor standings. But Todt believes a three-way race means Ferrari will have to work even harder to stay on top, especially if the new Michelin tires used by Williams prove equal to the established Bridgestones on which his team and McLaren have dominated the circuit.

It took Michelin just five races to get a victory in its return after 17 years out of the sport. It also was the first win in 22 races since BMW returned last season.

Mario Theissen, the engine manufacturer's director, is optimistic not just because of the victory, but because of the way it happened.

"I am particularly happy because we led from the start and we dominated the race," said Theissen, who figures the best is still ahead for the Williams team. "For this season, I think we can only shoot for some GP wins. However, we will definitely be the team to beat in the next championship."

Williams' position is stronger than that of most upcoming teams because - like Ferrari and McLaren - it has two drivers capable of winning. Ralf Schumacher is in his third year with the team, and Montoya is an upgrade from 20-year-old Jenson Button, who had the other seat last year.

Rookie Montoya won the CART championship in 1999 and the Indianapolis 500 last year, and has talent that could take him to an F1 title. So far, he's had bad luck, the latest being a botched pit stop Sunday that led to a mechanical failure and his retirement after he ran in the top five.

"No doubt that Juan Pablo has a promising future in F1," said Patrick Head, the team's technical director.

That and other developments have brought to an end talk that Michael Schumacher would dominate on his way to another title. He won the first two races this year - extending to six a run that began last season - and had seven straight poles in that span.

Coulthard ended both streaks, winning the race in Brazil and the San Marino pole.

"I must say our rivals have made up the advantage we had over them," Schumacher said.

But Coulthard, who has outscored teammate and two-time champion Mika Hakkinen 26-4 while forging a tie atop the F1 standings, knows winning the championship is no longer about beating just one Schumacher. After surrendering the lead to the less-heralded one Sunday, he thought he might be able to reclaim it and win the race.

But all he saw thereafter was the rear wing of the Williams as Ralf drove away.

"Obviously, to my great disappointment, I found out he was quicker than I was," Coulthard said.

It's been a while since anyone said that of a Williams car.

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On the net:

Williams: www.williamsf1.co.uk